Task Timer — Measure Time, Improve Estimates
Task Timer helps you record real time spent on tasks so you can spot underestimated work, measure interruptions, and improve planning. This guide covers setup, logging practice, CSV export and analysis recipes.
Setup & Naming
Use clear task names and include a short expected duration in parentheses (e.g., Write unit tests (45m)). Add tags for project and type. This consistency makes exported CSVs easier to analyze — tags should be short and consistent (project-alpha, meeting, review).
How to record a session
- Create the task entry with expected time and tags.
- Start the Task Timer when you begin working; note interruptions in the notes field.
- Stop the timer when you finish and add a short summary of what was done.
Export & analyze
Export weekly CSVs and compute averages per tag or project. Key metrics: average time per task, median (less sensitive to outliers), and interruption rate (% of sessions with interruptions).
- Export sessions for the week as CSV.
- In a spreadsheet, compute average durations by tag and sort longest tasks to refine estimates.
- Use insights to re-balance upcoming Pomodoro blocks and calendar events.
Spreadsheet example
| Date | Task | Actual (min) | Interruptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-03 | Code review | 60 | 1 |
| 2025-11-04 | Feature X | 120 | 0 |
| 2025-11-06 | Bugfix | 45 | 1 |
Download — Task timer CSV template
Use this CSV to manually seed sessions or to test import/export flows.
Case studies & tips
After 2 weeks of tracking, Paolo discovered code review overhead accounted for 20% of his day. He scheduled dedicated review blocks and reduced fragmented context switching.
Rina tracked client calls as interruptions; she now buffers focus blocks and logs expected meeting time to avoid overcommitment.
FAQ
Q: Can Task Timer run alongside Pomodoro?
A: Yes — use Task Timer for detailed logging and Pomodoro for focused blocks; link a Task Timer entry to a Pomodoro before starting for cleaner data.
Q: Is there an offline export?
A: CSV export is client-side and works offline; save files locally for backups or transfer.
Q: Can I import CSVs from other tools?
A: The template fields are simple (date, task, tag, expected_minutes, actual_minutes, interruptions, notes). Map fields from other exports into these columns to import or seed your dataset.